


Scattered Lights

by oceanid



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Bookstore AU, M/M, barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 02:39:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18983533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanid/pseuds/oceanid
Summary: Seokmin's hit a dead end in his life. He used to shine brighter than the sun itself but is now stuck in the same boring routine. He needs a change, and he needs it now.





	Scattered Lights

Seokmin spends a lot of his time in bookstores. It’s ironic, really, because he doesn’t even have any interest in reading. However, there’s something calming about the atmosphere that keeps him distracted from what is happening in his life, or rather what isn’t happening in his life.

His favorite bookstore is the one across from the rundown coffee shop just a few blocks away from his apartment. He likes it because it’s a used bookstore. It’s messy, but organized enough where people can shop and find what it is they look for. It’s perfectly imperfect, that’s how Seokmin describes it.

When he enters the shop, the chimes above him clang into one another. The owner of the store sits behind the counter like he usually does with a book in his lap. Every time Seokmin visits, the old man is always on a different book, he wonders how many he’s gone through. If he even knows himself. The old man gives Seokmin a nod, and he nods back.

He makes his way past books that start from stacks to piles to towers. Weaving through them until he reaches the back of the shop where he sorts through them. Sometimes he organizes them by size, other days by authors, on days he’s tired of feeling grey he organizes by color. Today, he reads the blurbs.

He reads about a brother trying to discover secrets his sister might have left behind from her murder. Another is a psychological thriller about an obsessive ex-boyfriend who still believes his relationship that had ended over a year ago is still going. Among all of the dark stories, there are also ones about love. A story about a magician who falls for his evil vampire roommate. The weird new girl who is bullied for looking different and dressing strange, but finds someone who loves her for her. Something pangs inside Seokmin’s chest which causes him to stray away from the romance novels.

It feels as if Seokmin has hit a dead end in life. He’s not too sure where to go from here. He uses his university degree as a mouse pad and is unemployed. He has one friend who he hasn’t spoken to in half a year and everyone else just fell off the radar after graduation. He used to be such a bubbly person. His laugh was contagious and it was rare to see him without a smile. He really was just like the sun.

Minutes turn into hours and after a nice nap, Seokmin decides it’s time to go home. But today, something unexpected happens.

The old man rests his hand on Seokmin’s shoulder, “Work for me.” His voice is deep and raspy, it’s as if the vibrations traveled to his body from the hand he had placed on his shoulder.

Seokmin couldn't help but look stunned. They’ve only ever exchanged a few words in all the times he’s visited. “Excuse me?” He manages to respond but it just sounds like he chokes on his own spit.

“My wife is very sick, son.” His hand falls to his side, “I want to be by her side through this but I cannot abandon my shop, you see.” The distress is clear in the old man’s voice. “It’ll just be for a month or two. You come here often, I feel your love for this shop.”

Seokmin stares at the floor contemplating what to do. Perhaps this could be the change that he needs in his life. Something to give him a reason to get up in the morning. But above all of that, the old man’s desperation makes Seokmin’s heart hurt.

“I’ll do it.”

For the next couple of days, the old man shows Seokmin how to open and close the shop and all of the other business details he will be in charge of for the time being. There’s a little office in the back and unlike the rest of the store, it’s tidy and organized. While he won’t have to handle the financial responsibilities, he is going to have to file some paperwork and keep records of daily and weekly sales. Nothing too difficult, in fact, Seokmin was excited to learn something new.

Seokmin’s first shift alone was a bit lackluster. It was never a lively shop, to begin with, and in no way was he complaining, he enjoyed the quiet. Another drastic change of who he used to be.

It’s been well over three years since Seokmin’s personality completely switched. His loud voice would bounce all over the walls, his smile was larger and brighter than the sun, and he was the reason for all of his friends’ laughter.

Now, it’s like he’s forgotten how to shine.

Around noon Seokmin starts to get hungry. He scans the surrounding stores for a place to eat and finds a sandwich shop a couple of buildings down. He flips the sign from “Open” to “Close” and locks the door behind him.

On the way down the block, Seokmin passes a dog on a walk with their owner. Of course, he couldn’t just keep walking without petting his four-legged friend. That’s how he refers to every dog he comes in contact with.

“Can I pet him?” After the owner’s approval, he runs his finger through the pup’s wavy brown hair. The dog’s big brown eyes stare back at him as he attempts to give Seokmin sloppy kisses.

Seokmin takes his food to go. On the walk back to the shop he notices a tall figure waiting outside the door. He feels bad for keeping a customer waiting, especially since he doesn’t have many, so he lightly jogs back.

“I’m sorry, I ran out to get some lunch.” He bends down to unlock the door and lets the stranger in.

“Actually, I’m from the coffee shop across the street!”

Seokmin follows the direction of the stranger’s finger pointing at the rundown, yet elegant, shop in front of the bookstore. He passes it almost every day but has never stepped in it. Coffee has never been something he found enjoyable.

The stranger hands him a cup, “I noticed you were alone for a while and wanted to give you a drink to keep you awake.”

Seokmin wraps his long fingers around the cup. “Oh, um, thank you. I’m sorry I don’t drink coffee.” He stares at the coffee and back at the boy, but doesn’t give the cup back to him. He’s a head taller than Seokmin with tanned skin and slicked back black hair. He tries to ignore his handsomeness and focuses on the warm cup in his hands.

The stranger’s smile doesn’t falter. Instead, he begins to walk out the door, “It’s okay, it’s not strong. If anything it’s sweeter than most drinks we sell. Please let me know if you like it. It’s a new drink that isn’t even on the menu yet.” And just like that, he watches the stranger walk back across the street to his own store.

Seokmin brings the cup of coffee to his lips and allows his mouth to welcome the contents of the drink. The warmth wraps around him, hugging his stomach in a way that’s almost comforting. The sweetness lingers on his tongue even minutes after his first sip. It was just the perfect amount of sweet to mask the bitterness of the espresso. He wondered if the stranger would come back tomorrow.

Seokmin had never been a fan of coffee, but the following day his eyes were glued to the coffee shop across the street. An hour into his shift, the chimes clang and the barista from the day before saunters in with two cups of coffee.

“Is there an extra seat?”

Seokmin goes to the back for an extra chair and quickly checks his hair before going back to the front of the store. It’s brown and shaggy, he’s in dire need of a haircut. He used to care about his hair and sense of style before he found himself in this hole with no exit. The night before he pulled out some old clothes from when he was in university and considered what he should wear in case the barista came to visit. He pushes his hair back the best he can and smoothes out his shirt. He blinks at his reflection and gives himself a soft, genuine smile.

“What’s your name?” Seokmin takes a sip of his coffee only to find out it’s a cup of hot chocolate.

“Mingyu,” his smile reveals his sharp canines, which Seokmin is sure he’ll think about for the rest of the day. “You’re Seokmin, right?”

He feels flushed hearing his name come out of Mingyu’s mouth. It sounds better with his voice. He also noticed his tiny lisp. Seokmin finds him adorable.

They spend half an hour talking about dogs they don’t own and books neither of them read, but it seemed appropriate with them being located in a bookshop.

“I should get going,” Mingyu rises from his chair, “I have to get back to the shop.”

Seokmin also stands up, not nearly matching Mingyu’s height. “Thanks for the hot chocolate.”

Mingyu’s smile returns, “It’s no problem. I remember you said you don’t drink coffee, so I considered some options.”

He feels his face turn hot, not sure why this stranger is making him feel so shy, a feeling that’s so unfamiliar to who he used to be.

Every Monday, the bookshop is closed. Mingyu has stopped by every day since their first meeting. Every Monday, Seokmin slept in and moped around his apartment. Today, he got dressed. Today, he went out.

The cafe is a lot bigger than it appeared on the outside. He walks in and is immediately greeted by the scent of coffee mixed with the sweetness of pastries. Seokmin slides himself into a booth and watched as the baristas behind the counter move in perfect harmony. At first, he doesn’t see Mingyu until he emerges from the back room. His hair is slicked back and his sleeves are rolled up. Seokmin watches as he pumps multiple cups with various flavors and drizzles different toppings on the drinks with whipped cream. He works swiftly but delicately, making sure every drink is as close to perfect as it can be.

Seokmin’s eyes follow from his quick arms to his face. His golden skin is radiant with no imperfections and beauty mark rests perfectly on his lower cheek. Mingyu calls out the names of the customer’s followed by a thank you and a smile.

He watches Mingyu for a few minutes until a wave of doubt washes over him. What is he even doing here? There’s no way his feelings are going to be returned. Everything he did was because he was being nice, he probably does it all the time. Seokmin’s smile slowly faded while Mingyu’s working self starts to grow farther and farther away.

Seokmin leaves the coffee shop before he was noticed and makes his way towards his apartment. He puts his coat on the chair and considers his space. The downstairs area is made up of a couch by the big window with the view of part of the city. It’s a decent view, he’s not sure how he got so lucky. He has a small, round dining table with two chairs on either side. He has yet to have company since he moved in two years ago. His kitchen is spotless, mainly because he never uses it. Upstairs is the loft. There’s a double sized mattress on the ground and on the left side, there's an end table with a new alarm clock. Most mornings he forgets about the low ceiling and bangs his head when he attempts to stand up. He wonders how Mingyu would manage, considering his height. He sees the barista in different locations of his apartment, laughing at his lack of decorations, or maybe pouting at the laundry that hasn’t been done in too long.

  
He flops onto his bed and tries to wrap his head around his current situation. His heart continues to race and the butterflies in his stomach are only multiplying. He shuts his eyes but only sees Mingyu. His smile reminds him of what it was like to be happy. His playful personality is like a puppy. His brown eyes were easy to get lost in and Seokmin is in this maze and unsure if he’s going to be able to escape.

The following week, Seokmin purposefully locked the door and at his sandwich in the backroom during the time Mingyu usually comes over to spend his break. He would hear him pull on the door at the same time every day, and as each day passed Seokmin could hear him give up faster and faster until one day he stopped trying. On the fifth day, no one pulled on the door.

A month passes and Seokmin knows his time with the shop is coming to an end. He’s been looking at apartments on the opposite side of the city in his spare time and days off. He’s run low on his saved up money and would rather find somewhere more affordable to live than to wake up with an eviction notice. Even though, somehow, his income from the bookshop is enough to live off of Seokmin is once again looking for an escape. Recently, running away from potential happiness is something he’s gotten good at.

The chimes ring and Seokmin stands up as the owner of the shop walks in. “Give me a second, I’ll grab you a chair!” He rushes to the backroom and props a chair for the old man.

He takes a seat and a blanket of silence falls over the room. A minute passes before the shop owner begins to speak, “Unfortunately, things are not looking well for my wife. I want to be there for her a little bit longer before I say goodbye.” Seokmin stays still as he listens to the heavy words. “I also decided that it was time to give up this shop. You know, I opened this shop because she loved to read? The first day I met her, she had her nose in a book and it took a couple of weeks for her to notice me bringing her lunch every day. Life was so simple back then. I almost gave up on her. Until one day I woke up and realized that I couldn’t live without her.” Seokmin has tears streaming down his face. “I wanted to know if you would take over the shop for me. Permanently. You don’t have to answer right now, think about it. Just say yes only if you plan on taking care of her. I’m gonna be at the hospital for the next three days to say farewell.” The old man rises from the seat and takes a good look around the shop before turning to Seokmin, “Thank you.”

Seokmin stares across the street into the coffee shop’s window for the remainder of the day. He doesn’t go home that night. He spends the night reorganizing like he used to, he must have touched hundreds of books. Maybe if he gives the shop some type of structure things in his life would begin to make sense. He finds himself lost in a mountain of words, jealous that they are able to sit on their proper pages while his words are stuck in his throat. He washes them down with some water. The bookstore was an outlet for him but to take on the responsibility of owning something so beautiful makes Seokmin scared. He stares at the ceiling, using a bulky dictionary as a pillow.

Seokmin wakes up on the floor of the bookstore with a splitting headache. After preparing for the day he rummages through the back and finds unused boxes. He looks over the number of books versus the limited amount of boxes and sighs. He pulls out his phone to research organizations that buy used books or accepts book donations. His heart breaks at the thought of throwing in the towel and shutting the doors but he’s made up his mind.

He turns around at the sound of the wind chimes. Before he could tell them the bookstore is going to be closing he is frozen in place. His words once again betray him resembling a hundred car pile up in his larynx as he stares at Mingyu at the front door.

“Hey,” He says cooly. He doesn’t wear the smile that is usually on his face.

“Hi.” Seokmin’s voice comes out as a whisper.

“I tried to visit you for a while.” Seokmin stays quiet. “But every time it seemed like you were trying to avoid me.” Mingyu takes a step closer. “I’m sorry if it seemed like I gave up on you, I didn’t I thought you just needed some space. I’ve come to realize that I can’t live without you.”

Seokmin’s mind is chaos as tries to process the barista’s words, “Why? You don’t even know me how do you know you can’t live without me? That’s absurd..” He regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth as he is hit with the realization that Mingyu is all he thinks about. Since the day he met him and the weeks after he dropped him, every night consisted of him and what they could be. Mingyu followed him wherever he went, he looked for him in everything he came across. He feels his face stinging when he realizes Mingyu’s fingers are wiping Seokmin’s tears he wasn’t even aware were streaming down his cheek.

For the first time in years, Seokmin does not hesitate his next move. He pulls Mingyu’s face to his own until their lips meet. It starts off slow and sweet. He feels Mingyu’s hands tangled in his hair as his own hands travel to the barista’s chest. As Seokmin pushes his tongue into the other boy’s mouth the kiss gets rougher, they only pull apart for breaths of air. He knows he should stop to lock the shop door, but he can’t seem to stop exploring Mingyu’s body. It’s not like he gets customers at this time anyway. He pushes Mingyu up against the wall where they begin to undress each other. He feels something changing in him when he watches the barista take off his shirt that Seokmin kindly unbuttoned for him. He’s even more perfect than Seokmin had realized. His muscles are lean and his skin is like smooth coffee with just enough creamer for that beautiful amber beige color.

“God, you’re perfect” Seokmin mutters as he explores every inch of Mingyu’s body. He plants kisses on the places that haunt him the most, his collarbone, the tip of his nose, his neck, and that damn mole on his cheek.

They lay in the corner of the shop intertwined with the lights off and the door locked. Their clothes are scattered in random aisles and the sounds of heavy breathing and pleasure fill the room.

They stay in each other’s arms for what could have been a century. Seokmin stares at the ceiling while Mingyu faces him.

“The bookstore is closing.”

Mingyu is running his fingers through Seokmin’s hair, “So what are you gonna do to stop it?”

“Nothing.”

“Why?”

Seokmin shifts his body to face Mingyu, “I don’t even know what I want to do with my own life, how would I be able to run this place? Owning a bookshop was never part of my plan.”

Mingyu chuckles, “Did you even have a plan before agreeing to help out?”

He considers this for a minute. A stupid smile spreads across his face, “I guess not, huh.”

The barista leans in for a quick peck, “You’re meant to smile. I’ve only ever seen you genuinely smile a handful of times, but Seokmin you’re like the literal sun. You have this dark cloud that follows you wherever you go but whenever you smile it’s like rays of sunshine shoot through them. You’re like scattered lights. Seokmin, you were made to shine.”

Seokmin falls silent. He stares into Mingyu’s puppy-like eyes, struggling to find anything to say.

“I think you should do it.” The barista’s eyes are closed, “You could turn this shop upside down and build something here. And you don’t have to do it alone.”

He flashes his canines before falling asleep leaving Seokmin to consider these new options.

_One Month Later_

Seokmin is packing up the last of the books in a box labeled “DONATE.” Suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

“Looking pretty good so far.” Mingyu kisses Seokmin on the cheek, “I think the boutique next door is finally going out of business. Wait just a bit longer and we expand this place into a cafe bookshop. It was a good call getting rid of all the outdated books and replacing them with more modern reads.”

Seokmin smiles as he turns to Mingyu and kisses him gently. “Thank you for staying by me.”

The windchimes rattle, shifting the couple’s attention to the front store. Seokmin rushes over, his invisible tail wagging like crazy, “Sir! How have you been?”

The original shop owner pats Seokmin on the shoulder, “I’ve been good. Just wanted to swing by one last time before moving to the retirement home in my hometown. Ever since my wife passed I realized how hard it was to live on my own.” He looks around the shop for a couple of seconds, “Thank you for not giving on her. I know you’re gonna do great, this place is already looking much better.”

Seokmin gathers some books into the old man’s car that he could take with him to always have a part of his shop by his side. He opens the passenger door and helps him in the car when he’s ready to finally say goodbye. Before the car drives off the old man rolls down his window, “Son, don’t lose that smile. I think you’ve finally found what you were looking for.”

Seokmin gives him a smile and thanks him one last time before the car pulls away. He walks back over to Mingyu, who pulls him into a tight embrace.

They separate and smile at each other. Mingyu plants a kiss on Seokmin’s forehead and pushes back his hair, “No more clouds in this forecast, Seokmin. You’ve scattered enough lights, let there be sun.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was just a little something because seokgyu is the absolute cutest and i'm addicted to writing about them. thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed!


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